Neft Daşları, the world’s first oil platform, holds a long history, the development of marine technology, and great challenges amidst changing times, making it an important site in the global oil industry.
Neft Daşları, located about 100 kilometers from Baku in Azerbaijan, is a historic site that pioneered the offshore oil industry. With its unique location in the Caspian Sea, Neft Daşları was the world’s first oil rig and an important symbol in the history of global energy exploration.
Built in 1949, the floating city developed into an industrial center that produced oil for the Soviet Union for decades.
However, although Neft Daşları declined after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it remains a remarkable example of the advancement of marine technology for its time.
This article reviews the history of Neft Daşları, its development process, and the challenges faced in maintaining its continuity.
How Did Neft Daşları Appear?
Neft Daşları emerged as a result of oil exploration carried out in Azerbaijan since the 3rd and 4th centuries. However, significant oil production only began after the region was taken over by Russia.
After the discovery of oil beneath the Caspian Sea in 1949, Neft Daşları was built as the world’s first offshore oil platform.
The city is known as the “Oil Rock” and serves as a symbol of technological progress and energy exploration that made it possible to effectively extract oil from the seabed.
Initially, the construction of Neft Daşları was led by Joseph Stalin, and its construction was carried out using sunken ships, including the first oil tanker ever. The structure is built on wooden piles driven into the seabed to serve as a drilling platform and ship dock.
With further development, Neft Daşları grew into a vast complex with more than 2,000 platforms connected by 300 kilometers of bridges. At its peak, the floating city housed around 5,000 workers and produced 13 million tons of oil annually.
Development of Neft Daşları Under the Soviet Union
After the construction began, Neft Daşları developed rapidly into a self-sufficient city focused entirely on the oil industry. In 1958, various facilities were built to support the lives of workers, such as a power plant, a hospital, a refining plant, and living spaces.
During the 1970s, the city even had shopping centers, football fields, cinemas, schools, and various other social facilities, making it a highly developed floating city.
However, the biggest challenge facing Neft Daşları was transporting workers to the city. Workers had to travel by sea for 8 to 9 hours, which made it difficult to reach the city.
In 1960, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered the construction of a heliport to facilitate access to the floating city, which speeded up travel and increased operational efficiency.
In addition, in 1981, as oil production increased, a 78-kilometer pipeline was built to connect Neft Daşları with the Absheron Peninsula, replacing tankers as the main means of transporting oil. The use of this pipeline allows for a larger and more efficient extraction volume than tankers.
The Rise and Decline of Neft Daşları
Neft Daşları played a major role in the Soviet oil industry, accounting for about 60% of the Soviet Union’s offshore oil supply. Increased efficiency in the drilling process and the construction of more advanced offshore facilities contributed to the city’s rapid development.
Neft Daşları also played a role in experimenting with drilling technology. sea leading to the adoption of new drilling methods with multiple wells drilled at different angles from the same platform.
However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the floating city began to experience significant decline.
The outdated infrastructure required very high maintenance costs, and the discovery of new oil fields on land with lower extraction costs caused many workers to leave Neft Daşları.
In addition, existing oil platforms are starting to experience damage due to bad weather and lack of adequate maintenance.
Despite this, Neft Daşları remains owned by the Azerbaijani government and managed by SOCAR, the state oil company.
About two-thirds of the city’s original infrastructure has been damaged, and only about 45 kilometers of its 300 kilometers of roads remain in use today. Despite its derelict state, about 2,000 people still live and work in Neft Daşları to extract oil.
Neft Daşları in Modern Times
In recent years, despite the decline of Neft Daşları, the floating city still holds an important place in the history of the global oil industry. The Azerbaijani government began to renovate some of its facilities to support continued oil production.
On the city ’s 60th anniversary, plans for infrastructure renewal were decided, and several new buildings were constructed to maintain the continuity of production at Neft Daşları.
However, the renovation process is not easy. Demolishing a city built on the sea is very expensive, and the technical challenges associated with construction and the remote location make the work even more complicated.
As an alternative, new, more sustainable and environmentally friendly projects are being implemented in several other locations, such as the Maldives and Japan, to address the same challenges faced by Neft Daşları.
Can You Visit Neft Daşları?
Access to Neft Daşları is currently very limited, and visitors who wish to visit the city must obtain special permission from the Azerbaijani government.
During the Soviet era, Neft Daşları was completely isolated due to security concerns and strategic importance. Although currently managed by SOCAR, access for foreign tourists remains very restricted, and there is no direct access to the city without permission.
This city cannot be easily found on mapping applications such as Google Maps or Bing Maps. However, for those who want to better understand the history of Neft Daşları, there are a number of documentaries that can be used as references, including La Cité du Pétrole which was produced in 2009.
In addition, parts of Neft Daşları also appeared in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), which used the city as a filming location.
The Future of Neft Daşları and Floating Cities
Despite the setbacks, Neft Daşları remains a symbol of the development of marine technology and energy exploration.
In the context of climate change and the need for sustainable solutions, floating cities like Neft Daşları remain relevant as models for more efficient and environmentally friendly floating city projects.
As technology advances, new projects in other locations are seeking to create long-term solutions to the increasingly pressing challenges of space and energy.
As an important part of the history of the oil industry, Neft Daşları maintains its place on the global energy map.
Despite the challenges it faces, the floating city will continue to inspire researchers and engineers around the world, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable projects in the future.
Neft Daşları is not just a historical site, but also a symbol of innovation in marine technology and oil exploration. Despite its decline, the floating city holds an important place in the history of technology and the global energy industry.
With ongoing renovations and sustainable floating city projects in development, Manshiyat Naser remains an inspiration for the future challenges of the energy world.
